Karramarro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a 16-day window, and for the first few days, it’s a bit of a waiting game. The first real opportunity to paddle out doesn’t show up until Thursday the 20th.

Overall Pattern

The first few days are a no-go, with Wednesday the 19th offering nothing but flat, weak conditions. The real action starts to build from Thursday the 20th, with a solid NW groundswell filling in. We see a couple of standout windows, especially for the experienced crew, but the week between has some messy sides to it. There’s a big gap of poor conditions from Sunday the 23rd to Tuesday the 25th, so don’t bother checking the charts those days. The real gems are later in the run.

The Breakdown

The spot to watch is Karramarro, a point break that’s fairly exposed to the NW. It’s an advanced wave, and it’s inconsistent, so when it fires, it’s for the crew who know what they’re doing. The water temperature is 77°, which is about 5° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you can leave the steamer at home.

Thursday morning the 20th kicks things off properly. We’ve got a 4 ft NW swell with a long 11-second period, and combined wave energy is sitting at a moderate 384. The wind is glassy out of the WNW. That’s clean surf, no doubt about it. The swell is a bit small for the advanced crew, but it’s a nice start.

Friday morning the 21st sees a jump in size to 6 ft from the NW, period at 10 seconds, and the energy is climbing to 626. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the WNW. This is a good session, the waves will have some push.

Then we hit a dry spell. Saturday the 22nd morning is glassy but tiny, and by Sunday the 23rd it’s a write-off. That brings us to Monday the 24th – a 4 ft NW swell with glassy SW wind makes for ordinary conditions, nothing to get excited about.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The standout for the whole period is Thursday morning the 27th. Holy moly, we’re looking at an 12 ft WNW swell, with strong wave energy clocking in at 1982. The wind is offshore from the WSW, light and clean. This is a serious, powerful groundswell for experienced surfers only. The 10-second period is solid, but at this size, it’s big and it’s heavy. The point setup at Karramarro should handle it, but you’ll need your wits about you.

If you miss that, Friday morning the 28th is still excellent. A 7 ft NW swell with glassy conditions, energy at 788. That’s a much more manageable size for a good session.

We get another little run of decent mornings. Saturday the 29th morning has a 5 ft NW swell with a moderate offshore wind. Sunday the 30th morning sees a 5 ft NW swell, clean cross-offshore breeze.

But the real heavyweight is Monday the 31st of August. The morning session brings an 8 ft NW swell, but the period jumps to a very long 13 seconds. The energy is massive at 2088. This is for experts only. The wind is a clean cross-offshore. This kind of long-period groundswell can make beach breaks tricky, but at a point break like Karramarro, it’ll be lined up and relentless.

Tuesday the 1st of September morning is similar – an 12 ft NW swell with a 12-second period, energy at 3172. Another one for the big-wave chargers.

After that, things pulse back down. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd drop to 6 ft and 4 ft respectively, with cleaner conditions making for good, fun waves.

Look, if you can only surf one day, make it Thursday the 27th of August morning, or the 31st of August morning if you’re after the real power. The first week is a slow burn, but the second week has the serious juice. Stay safe out there.

Rusty.

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